There could be some lucrative contracts for Croatian companies as Kazakhstan begin new motorway construction…

Delegates from KazAvtoZhol, the operators of Kazakhstan’s state-owned motorway, have invited Croatian construction to apply for road construction tenders in the former Soviet republic during a meeting in Zagreb yesterday. The meeting was organised by the World Bank as part of motorway management and infrastructure construction and maintenance projects, and also saw Croatian construction companies InstitutIGH and Viadukt take part.

During the meeting the Kazakh delegation talked about the favourable business environment for foreign companies, advising the Croatian companies that VAT was 12%, equipment imports were not subject to customs duties, and tax relief was possible for investment in land and facilities.

Croatia and Kazakhstan have maintained good economic relations over the last couple of years with Croatia exporting over 23 million USD worth of goods there. Industrial equipment, iron, steel, medicines and food were the most common goods arriving from Croatia. Meanwhile, Kazakhstan exported a lot more to Croatia – 417 million USD worth of goods, including petroleum and oils, petroleum gases, copper, zink, and food products.